Put me down for Denver taking Mosley, Shazier or Borland. Shazier would be awesome, but could live with Borland or Preston Brown in rd 2 or 3. I think Shazier a great fit for Denver- in the footsteps of Gradishar?

Posted by MississippiMudWalk on 2014-05-06 03:57:20

I LOVE THIS PICKUP! Austin will make the final roster and we will have an awesome group of DTs this year. Baring injuries of course!

Irving has some skills defending the run, and fans (I remember Tuna Parcells was very high on him), but which LB position fits? Struggles in coverage, not instinctive, struggles to shed blocks. OK, I can buy him as a two down MLB, but even on 1st and 2nd down, teams pass a lot against us- thanks to our awesome offense staking leads. We can and should do better at MLB, and Irving is a competent backup.

Posted by MississippiMudWalk on 2014-05-06 03:43:26

Really? So a career backup who has been beaten out by the likes of Keith Brooking and Stewart Bradley is better than most of the options in the draft? Who's blowing smoke there? In any case, that's not what Elway said. He said the team is happy with Irving at MLB. Care to defend that statement?

Regarding the comment about Ward, Andrew Mason described it as "shocking" on Twitter, IIRC. You think they signed him just so they could move him on passing downs to get Duke back on the field? Because they were so happy with Duke in the first place.

With Franklin, it's possible they'll move him back, but your crush on Garland at OG is hard for me to fathom. Montgomery was much better as a center than OG. Painter was drafted to play tackle, so not sure how that applies to Franklin at LG.

Most of what John said fits into what can be seen:-Nate is much better at LB than most of what's available;-Use of nickel and dime packages is basic for the Broncos including the more extensive use of safeties, especially in place of LBs.-DTs like Austin are more like what Denver is looking for than replicas of Vickerson;-Montgomery, Garland and Painter should all be ready to be part of the competition for starting positions;

Most of this is apparent to anyone who doesn't have a pre-conceived notion of what should be or must be the case.I don't see much smoke, frankly; mostly just acknowledgement of what is.

Posted by ivanthenotsobad on 2014-05-05 20:40:03

Yup. And hopefully the example of Demarcus Ware next to him, and PMFM on the other side of the ball, helps him figure things out.

Shoot, even Big Vick could serve as something of a role model..

Posted by ncm42 on 2014-05-05 19:54:16

Not sure I get your meaning, Doc. I was just suggesting suggesting a separate post so we could all speculate. Unless you're saying a retrospective on all the BS Elway said today -- that would be fun.

Posted by Royalwithcheese on 2014-05-05 19:02:46

The most noticeable attribute about Austin IMO is how quick he is for a big man. He seems to be part of indications that there is a concerted effort by the Broncos to increase both the overall size and speed of the team.Losing DRC and Champ hurt the speed part of that trend, but Talib and Sanders recouped most of that.

I've been rumaging about information on some of the other newbies. Konz is intriguing in that he played TE and DE (because he was so quick to the QB) for Seattle (also WR in college) at 4.38 speed. I sort of hope he finds a role with the Broncos. He certainly is a freakish kind of athlete.Austin, Jackson, even Fua are unusually fast for DTs, With Wolfe and Sly they, for me, represent a trend toward quicker DTs that can play three downs. With the contracts of both Vickerson and Knighton up this next year, this group may indicate the direction Denver intends to go..Sanders, Caldwell and Wilson are all speedsters at WR. (I know little about Nathan Palmer) In fact, should they draft a WR I suspect that it will be one that is bigger along the lines of DT. Allen Robinson early or better Jeff Janis and/or L'Damian Washington later come to mind who are all also very fast for big WRs.My point partially being that, even without the draft, there may be more already on the roster than we realize.

Posted by ivanthenotsobad on 2014-05-05 19:00:28

So, the breakdown would come a week after the draft, so the snow settles?

Posted by Doc Bear on 2014-05-05 18:47:36

Very true. J. Thomas had a number of folks who'd written him off after 2012, but bargains often need a little healing time before playing. Brandon Thomas excites me if he falls far enough, and there are several others. It's the long game - looking at 3-5 years ahead - that has seemed to put JE in the position he and the Broncos are.

Posted by Doc Bear on 2014-05-05 18:46:29

I think we need a separate post on the press conference and all the smoke Elway was blowing: the team is happy with Nate on first and second down; TJ Ward could be the nickle linebacker; moving Franklin to LG isn't set in stone...

Now, some of that may be true, or it could all be BS with the draft just days away.

Posted by Royalwithcheese on 2014-05-05 18:29:57

Sure. I could see that argument.

Posted by cjfarls on 2014-05-05 18:24:30

Thanks Doc, sounds like we are shopping in the 'irregular' bin again, where many great bargains can be had.

Posted by iamafreeman on 2014-05-05 17:47:30

Actually, I would think those factors would allow Denver to get a two year deal for the vet minimum this year with a small-mid sized raise next year if they decide to keep him. Given the current depth at DT and the fact that 4 of the top 5 options are free agents after this year, I am guessing this move is as much about next year as this one.

Posted by MattR on 2014-05-05 16:30:46

Given the multiple teams dropping him in the past 12 mo, I'd be a bit surprised if it was anything more than 1-year at near vet minimum.

Posted by cjfarls on 2014-05-05 16:25:15

Any idea of the length and price of the contract.

Posted by Lonestar47 on 2014-05-05 16:11:53

As Doc says, "If he's gotten his act together and avoids injuries, this could be a great pickup". Very well spoken. Denver has picked him up at the right time of the year - in the spring - so that he can go thru the spring workouts before TC. He will be able to get his body in shape and have some of the polish from the other DL guys rub off on him before TC. His speed and quickness could turn into quite an asset.

I was high on him in 2011. I am excited by the potential of his fresh start in Denver. We will see.

Posted by BlackKnigh on 2014-05-05 15:40:12

Football always came very easy for him, by his own admission, until he got to the NFL. We'll see if getting released by three different teams in a four month span was enough of a wake up call.

Austin had some problems as a young man - most of it the usual. There main issues were questions of whether he took money from an agent and a tendency to tweet without thinking that went over most lines. The Senior Bowl didn't invite him, so he used the EW Shrine Game as his poster image. He dominated as the week went on. By Wednesday, no one could stop him, so they went to double-teaming. He blew the pairs of blockers away.

Combine: (From Football Outsiders)

He tied with Auburn's Nick Fairley with the best 40 time among all defensive tackles (4.84), and the best 10-yard split (1.64 on the number that best measures initial explosion, a measurement that has gained traction as an actual indicator of on-field performance for linemen). Austin’s explosive first step had now been timed. Only Oregon State's Stephen Paea threw up more 225-pound reps at the bench press than Austin's 38, showing how strong Austin was in relation to the other players there (watching how he abused offensive linemen at the Shrine Game and the practices showed his weight room strength as functional strength in action - he rag-dolled some of the players who went against him). He also posted the Combine’s best time in the 20-yard shuttle for DTs (4.40), and the third-best time in the 3-cone drill.

If he's gotten his act together and avoids injuries, this could be a great pickup.

Posted by Doc Bear on 2014-05-05 14:33:46

I think that Denver isn't so deep that they can't fit their picks on the roster. They are deep enough that they can afford to draft somebody expected to play very little this year and to learn the system for future years. They are in a position to cultivate more depth and upgrade the second and third stringers. The truth is that most draft picks overall are busts, so taking a chance and giving a player or two a chance to show something in camp isn't a lost chance.

I agree that they also have a strong enough roster that trading up might make sense for a particularly good prospect, but that doesn't mean that late rounders can't make the team. Most years they even find ways to fit UDFA on the roster and it's always nice to start replacing players that you won't be able to afford a year or two down the road as soon as possible.

Posted by DragonPie on 2014-05-05 14:18:47

Sounds like a low-risk, potentially decent reward if you figure that, even if he makes the roster, he'd still likely behind Knighton/Williams/Vickerson and maybe even Unrein. That's pretty good depth. I don't think anybody was expecting Denver to pick a DT before Day 3 anyway, and if they like a DT in those rounds it shouldn't prevent them from drafting one.

However, I think it's worth noting that the Broncos are in the position where, yes, great teams do tend to hit big on mid-to-late round draft picks (see also: Seattle and New England), but with their depth, there is no guarantee a mid round pick even makes the roster. So the question is, say they're sitting at #31 and a player they really like is still there at #25. Do you sit back and wait believing that you can't trade a 4th rounder (and likely more) because that player you'd draft in the 4th will provided needed depth to the team. Or do you trade it and get a player you covet?

I don't think signing Austin precludes Denver from drafting a lineman it really likes. I do think, however, that a late-round lineman probably has about as good a chance at making the final 53 as Austin. I'd personally rather Denver move up and get a player like Fuller or Shazier rather than sit back, get a player it doesn't like quite as much and then spend a mid-round pick on a lineman that may be playing for another team come September.

Posted by Drew on 2014-05-05 13:50:14

I was pretty high on him coming out of Chapel Hill. It'll be good to let Fox and JDR have a good look at him.

Posted by SammyDEEEEEE on 2014-05-05 13:32:20

He's one you hope the strength and conditioning gurus at Denver can get into shape to stay on the field.